Zootopia 2 – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Zootopia 2.

Story

The movie pulls from the buddy cop tropes but like the first, it infuses it with heart, empathy, and more than a dash of political commentary.

Score: 1

Characters

Making the main conflict between the main characters be fear of losing each other was not only sweet but a great continuation of their dynamic from the first movie.

The new characters fit well into the found family? pack? Fluffle!

Score: 1

Dialogue

There were a lot of good lines and callbacks to the first movie. The dry sarcasm and loving jibes never felt overdone.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

I was amazed by the snow and water. Disney has come a long way with its digital animation. The framing and cinematography were great.

The music was almost as epic as the first one.

Score: 1

Fun

This felt like coming back to a great story and not like a disconnected sequel. I had a lot of fun and the rest of the family loved it.

I really appreciated the social commentary and jabs at modern politics.

Score: 1

Overall

All the charm of the first movie with a whole new adventure. This feels like a perfect continuation and was done with respect and empathy.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

Crochet Patterns – Heated Rivalry

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Jen made some amazing Heated Rivalry drawstring bags and we have the patterns up on our shop.

Check out the awesome videos she made for promo:

@jendesmaraisauthor

PDF crochet patterns for Hollander and Rozanov drawstring bags are going to be available for download on our website as of Monday Feb 23! They will be 50% off for the first week only. Bookmark the page so you don’t forget! https://coffeejeneric-designs.square.site/ #crochet #HeatedRivalry

♬ Heated Rivalry Coming to the Cottage – HBO Max
https://www.tiktok.com/@jendesmaraisauthor/video/7609639992066870536?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Enjoy!

Éric

Book Fair at Robert Plante Greenhouses

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Hello Book Lovers,

Come see us this Sunday from 9am-4pm at Robert Plante Greenhouses (4228 Navan Rd, Navan, ON K4B 1H9, Canada).

Book Fair at Robert Plante Greenhouses

Join us for the 2nd Annual Book Fair at Robert Plante Greenhouses this winter. Celebrate the world of books, authors, and storytelling in a warm, greenhouse setting filled with tropical greenery and creative energy.

This one-day literary event will feature local authors, illustrators, and book-related businesses offering products such as journals, stationery, pens, bookmarks, and more. 📚✍️

Whether you are an avid reader, an aspiring writer, or simply looking for a cozy winter outing, the Book Fair offers something for everyone. Discover new reads, meet local authors, explore literary accessories, and support the local creative community — all in a lush and inviting space. 🌿✨

We look forward to welcoming you for a day devoted to books, creativity, and inspiration.

https://www.robertplantegreenhouses.com/event-details/book-fair-at-robert-plante-greenhouses-1

Hope to see you there,

Jen and Éric

 Playdate – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Playdate.

Story

Another clueless man gets roped into a “spy” situation. It’s also a buddy comedy and I use the word comedy reluctantly. The entire story was surface level and didn’t make sense if you examined it at all. But it somehow managed to keep my attention.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Kevin James plays the same character he always does, and the rest of the cast plays idiots. No one, except the wife, does anything with any form of forethought or common sense.

I could almost forgive that if anyone in the movie was likeable.

Score: 0

Dialogue

Arg. There was nothing clever, quotable, or even interesting.

Score: 0

Visuals and Music

The chase and action scenes were well filmed and the choice of camera angles were solid. Most of the choreography was good but lacked logic.

The music was acceptable and did its job.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I was excited because I like Alan Ritchson as Reacher but honestly even his natural charisma wasn’t enough to make the movie watchable.

The kids seemed to like it but the adults wanted to turn it off by the first thirty minutes.

Score: 0

Overall

A waste of talent, time, and an insult to comedy. The action is passable but this movie is bad. Don’t waste your time.

Final Score: 1 Stars out of 5

Shiny Math Rocks

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Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

I love dice. I’ve been running tabletop role playing games for over twenty years and playing them for thirty. It’s fun and beyond creating a wonderful shared world with my friends, one of the things I love are the accessories, books, and especially dice.

I’m very fond of Adventure Dice. They have an awesome dice advent calendar each year.

The other day, I saw a post on reddit about using spice jars and racks to display and organize dice and quickly researched how to do it.

So I present to you my dice:

I’m very happy with them and now I even have room for more. 🙂

Do you like dice?

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Boring times

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Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

I’m dealing with a multi-day migraine brought on by changing medication. It’ll be okay when things even out.

There’s a running joke since 2020 about wanting to live in precedented times. As much as I feel the past 10 years have been tumultuous, I don’t think it’s particularly different from the majority of human history.

I think a lot of people were just not paying attention. I will grant that the world seems afflicted by more cartoonish evil than previously.

I don’t have advice or deep insight, but I do know that this is the new precedented times and I’m hoping they don’t get any more apocalyptic.

Sorry, migraines don’t lend themselves to hopefulness. If there is hope, it’s in every person who’s trying to do something about the horrors. It’s a relentless enemy, but there are millions of people fighting for others, themselves, and for hope.

Be kind and stay safe,

Éric